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: with his weakness. The power to rig was no longer wholly his, once domestic and foreign pressure forced him to stand down as army chief. His successor, General Ashfaq Kiyani, deserves most of the kudos for allowing the voters their say.

To the victors: don’t spoil it

Mr Musharraf’s legitimacy is in shreds. He was elected by the outgoing national and provincial assemblies whose members have just been resoundingly rejected by the voters. He had this constitutionally dubious arrangement endorsed by a judiciary stacked with his appointees, having sacked irksomely independent judges who might have thwarted him.

Despite the deep-seated antagonism between the country’s two big parties, and the personal hostility between Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif, the two men announced on February 21st that they intend to form a coalition government. If they manage to hold one together, the price may be Mr Musharraf’s impeachment. And if that happens, the risk is that for the next few months, just as for the past few years, Pakistani politics will be dominated not by the vital issues of extremism, security and development, but by the future of one man, Mr Musharraf. It would be better for all if he were to quit now, and were allowed to do so with dignity, and some honour.